The Verge states, via unnamed sources, that this new move is supposed to expand Belfiore's development role at Microsoft beyond just the Windows Phone division. It adds that while the IE app team will be under his leadership, the IE rendering engine team will remain under Microsoft's core operating systems group. We contacted Microsoft for confirmation of Belfiore's reported new duties but were told by a spokesperson that the company " ... doesn’t comment on rumors or speculation."

The same story also claims that planning for future Windows projects is on hold for the most part until the launch of the Xbox One is completed and the final parts of the "One Microsoft" reorganization are put in place. Microsoft recently unified registration for developers who want to make app for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone and this has been seen as a first step towards Microsoft offering a truly unified Windows OS that will cover both PCs and mobile devices.